Tmarus angulatus and Xysticus alboniger

This is definitely one of the funkiest spiders I've ever chanced upon – it's a Crab Spider, genus Tmarus, and according to the distribution given for this species at BugGuide.Net, it's probably Tmarus angulatus.

A dorsal view of the spider – this is a female, and she's about 8 mm long.

Nice camouflage ... the spider's size, shape, color and posture all conspire to make it resemble a sedge flowerhead.

A shot of the spider's abdomen and spinnerets.

Ventral views of Tmarus angulatus.

It's been a good couple of days for finding "new" species of spiders, but I was lucky indeed to spot this lttle male Ground Crab Spider – Xysticus alboniger – as he's only about 3 mm in length.

Ah yes ... Oneness, Identity and Unity with Mother Nature ... Singularity, Sameness and Solidarity with the Swallowtails ...

Maybe it's the relatively warm winter and spring weather we've had, or perhaps it's due to other factors, but there's a real bumper crop of butterflies this year. In addition to the recent population explosion of Red Admirals there's also an abundance of other species ... Question Marks, Mourning Cloaks, Baltimores, and – relative newcomers to our area – Giant Swallowtails (Papilio cresphontes).

Butterflies can often be seen sipping at mud puddles, bird droppings, rotten fruit or carrion, looking for minerals and amino acids.

They can become so absorbed in their business that they barely notice what's happening around them, and this Giant Swallowtail didn't take flight when I held up it's wing to take a photo of the underside.

The insect shows no fear of me whatsoever as I move my hand closer ...

... and closer ...

I was able to pick this normally skittish and difficult to approach insect up off the sand, and it continued to contentedly imbibe the moisture and perspiration from my fingers.

Butterflies are often attracted to perspiration, and in the past few years I have had many of our local lepidoptera taste test me on warm, sunny days, like the Compton Tortoiseshell back in mid-March. But some butterflies aren't so easily tempted, and I was able to make close contact with this Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) not because it fell for my charming personality, but because it was stunned due to a misadventure with a passing car.

There were over a dozen Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) sharing the beach with the Giant Swallowtails. It seems that their instincts for survival are better honed than those of their larger cousins, because, alas, I was unable to "tame" any of these butterflies ...

Spring Bouquet

The rush of spring bloom is in full swing, and no matter how many times I walk the same paths it seems like there's always something new that I've overlooked in past years. But it's impossible to patrol all of the habitats all the time, and, since the leaves develop after flowering, it looks like I missed out on seeing Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone americana) in bloom this spring. Oh well, maybe next year ...

Although it's hard to see any similarity by a casual glance at its tiny flowers, Early Meadrowrue (Thalictrum dioicum) belongs to the same family – Ranunculaceae – as the familiar Meadow Buttercup.

A closeup of the flowers.

Red Baneberry, another member of the Buttercup family.

An unusual pale-flowered version of the well-known Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) stands out among the other deep red trilliums on the woodland floor.

Members of the Saxifrage family, Foamflowers (Tiarella cordifolia) are just coming into bloom.

Closeups of the blossoms ...

... and the leaves.

Growing along the river shore at the Price Conservation Area, a group of Sessile-leaved Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) were so well hidden by rocks and a fallen tree that I almost passed them by.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a biennial, producing flowers and seeds in its second year of growth. Introduced from the Old World, it is considered to be a noxious weed.

The flowers of Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) are very similar to those of its much larger cousin, the Garlic Mustard, and bear the four petals typical of the mustards, family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae.

In addition to the difference in size, the leaves are quite different. This is the basal rosette ...

... a closeup of a basal leaf ...

... and a stem leaf.

It's not fully open yet, but I think this flower is White Avens (Geum canadense) – the leaves look correct for this species.

What a show! The next four species of flowers were growing within a few paces of one another. Scattered among the litter of the woodland floor were hundreds of these delicate, and aptly named, Starflowers (Trientalis borealis).

Judging by their numbers, Bluebead Lily or Yellow Clintonia (Clintonia borealis) are hardly inconspicuous or uncommon. Yet, until I literally walked into this group, I was unaware that these small lilies existed.

And another "new" flower ... Fringed Polygala or Gaywings (Polygala paucifolia).

The Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a member of the Dogwood family, Cornaceae. This one is still immature, the four greenish bracts surrounding the flowers in the center will turn white in time.

Last but not least – Twining Honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica) – a botanical burst of floral fireworks to let us know that spring is really here.